


What Lurks Here In The Dark

by Spellfire01



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Body Horror, Cannibalism, Ed has a crush on Kristen, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Illustrated, Jim is sassy, M/M, More characters to be added, Not sure where this is gonna go but I have a plot, OCs that are just random people and don't have that much effect on the story, Oswald crushes harder than a 12 year old, Sarah is the best boss, Wendigo, Wendigo AU, Wendigo!Oswald, basically an au where humans and mythical creatures live together normally and stuff, dark themes, first fanfic, kind of, lots of fluff, lots of that too probably, mythology AU, obviously, past Jim/Barbara, racism of sorts against certain species, that has been posted anyway, the update keeps messing around with my tags, weird i know, what a surprise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-30
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-03-09 18:08:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3259370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spellfire01/pseuds/Spellfire01
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oswald has been this way for as long as he can remember. He lives a simple, repetitive life until he meets one Detective Jim Gordon working on a case trying to solve the multiple disappearances that all point in Oswald's direction. Despite Jim being unsurprised and unafraid as to the being behind the crimes, there's something else about him...Something more than human.</p><p>(Alternatively titled: The Not So Thrilling Tale Of Two Not-Quite-Monster Boyfriends And Their Journey Though Angst, Fluff, More Angst, Cannoli, More Fluff, Long Lost Families, Spider Bitches, A Hungover Detective And A Shapeshifting Forensic Scientist Who Needs To Stop Weirding Out His Crushes.)</p><p> <br/><b>*Currently on an indefinite hiatus*</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now with it's very own mix: http://8tracks.com/spellfire01/sweet-and-horny-literally-speaking  
> I'd also love to say a HUGE thank you for Gobblepotfans - gobblepotfans.tumblr.com go check them out they are seriously awesome! - for helping me develop most of the au, this wouldn't be here without them! OwO
> 
> Enjoy!

Oswald watched in wonder as the flakes of snow danced around him, reaching a mitten-covered hand out to catch one. He drew his hand back and opened his palm, blinking in surprise when he found nothing there. "Oswald dear, don’t go wandering off now, you might get lost." His mother called back to him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Uh huh.." He muttered, distracted once again by the landscape around the pair. The forest was huge. The leafless trees that loomed over him would have been daunting if it weren’t for the pretty white that covered them and the surrounding forest floor. He lifted a snow-covered leg up and stepped forwards heavily, smiling at the satisfying crunch that sounded as he did so. He waddled through the snow towards his mother, taking the outstretched hand that was waiting for him.

"What were you doing back there?" His mother asked once they had started walking, looking down at him with an amused glint in her eyes.

"Looking for animals." Oswald replied simply, looking behind him at the trail of footsteps they had left. "I can’t see any, are they hiding?" His mother chuckled, the sound rang in his ears.

“No dear, most are asleep.”

“Why?” 

“So many questions.” She mused, turning her gaze back to the trees surrounding them.

“Are the birds sleeping too?” Oswald asked and listened to the pleasant chorus the creatures sang up in the branches.

“Birds don’t sleep when they sing.” His mother said, correcting him and giving a gentle tug on his hand.

Oswald picked up the pace of his walking, realising he was falling behind again. “Oh.” Oswald frowned slightly in thought. “Are any other animals awake?” He asked and blinked a snowflake off of his lashes.

“I do not know, if you keep an eye out you might still see a fox or a deer if you are lucky.” His mother answered, helping him to climb over a small fallen log, mostly covered by the thick layer of snow.

“Or a penguin?” Asked Oswald. He looked up to his mother, eyes bright with the possibility.

His mother let out another sharp chuckle and shook her head. “Penguins don’t live in forests Oswald.” She answered in an amused tone of voice. Oswald frowned again, this time in mild disappointment.

Looking to the left of him he tried to peer as far into the trees as he could manage, a flicker of movement caught his eye. His walking pace faltered, coming to a stop when it seemingly turned its head towards him, the movement sent a rush of curiosity though him. He glanced to his mother then back at the shadow between the trees and found that it had moved, in fact it seemingly had started to follow them. He cocked his head to one side to get a better look at it to no avail. "Momma, can I play?" He asked, stamping his feet twice in place to get across what he had meant. His mother stopped and eyed him for a few moments before heaving a sigh and nodding. "Don’t go too far, you could catch a death." She warned. She leaned down to re-tuck his scarf in his coat properly before letting him go. He wandered off but always stayed in her field of vision until she turned her back to pick up something of interest from the ground.

He took his chance, shuffling through the snow towards the shadow that watched him through the trees. He moved slowly as he approached it, he didn’t want to scare it off. It stayed still and unmoving as the young boy approached, the creature looking like a…deer? From what his books back at home had shown him. His face lit up in an awed grin. He took small steps towards it and raised a finger to his mouth, shooshing it. It looked a lot scarier than the pictures in his books, it’s blank, icy eyes made him feel uneasy and unsafe. He raised his other hand to its beak anyway with all the intention of petting it until it snapped at him. Oswald barely moved his hand out of its reach and looked up at the beast in fear, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes from the shock.

He should have stayed with his mother after all.

Oswald took an unsteady step back, the creature moved forwards, a dangerous air about the animal. In the distance he heard his mother call his name in a panic. Oswald cast a glance back to the direction he had come from, turned around and broke into a run. He was aware of just how deep this snow was, it would be impossible to get away from the beast with his short legs. “Momma!” He called in feeble hope that she would hear him. He heard a loud huff of air much like a laugh behind him before he was overcome by a blinding pain in his right leg. He let out a cry of pain, a harsh tugging sensation and face full of snow only made it worse. Oswald pawed through the snow to try and get a grip of something only to end up with handfuls of snow. The deafening crack if a gunshot was heard somewhere to his right. The next thing he heard was a low, predatory growl from the creature as he felt its teeth release his leg, a new surge of pain flooding him, making him wail for help.

 

The rest was all in fragments, coming in and out of consciousness.

 

He awoke in an unfamiliar room, it was cold and his leg was numb. He looked down to see it covered in bloody bandages and looked up to an unfamiliar voice and the blurred face it belonged to. He felt sick.

The next time he came into consciousness he was wrapped in the comforting arms of his mother, her familiar perfume was like a godsend.

Then he was in his own bed. He was tired, so tired and he felt ill. There wasn’t enough fingers he could count on to remember how many times he had thrown up or awoke screaming with the night terrors.

His forehead wouldn’t stop itching, when he tried to get rid of the torment his hands always shied away when they came into contact with two bumps under his skin. He was so hungry but he couldn’t eat whatever his mother had offered him.

 

Mother Kapelput was at a loss, all she could to was try to keep him fed and keep his fever down, nothing had worked to help her precious baby. She couldn’t rely on the occasional friend to keep doing her grocery shopping for her out of the worry of leaving her son alone. She saved her friend the trouble one day as they were terribly busy, Oswald had been getting a little better as of late, he had been more active and was even walking around for a few minuets each day. The nasty wolf bite, as the hunter who has saved her son had told her, hadn't healed since she had bandaged him up. She had been changing the bandages every day, trying not to look at the mess the animal had made of his leg. The bumps on his forehead had worried her more, no doctor she had been able to afford had been able to diagnose what was wrong with him, the only explanation was that they were growths. She had left him with the house phone after she showed him how to use it. She had told him that he needed to call her if he felt any more unwell and she would come straight home and take care if him. He had nodded and fallen back to sleep.

With the shopping over and no phone calls to answer she had made her way home with four heavy bags of food and any other essentials only to open the door into a war zone. The armchairs had been shoved, the dining chairs had been either knocked over or moved and Oswald’s bedroom door was open. She heard a faint sobbing from the back of her armchair and the furniture was long-forgotten, her baby needed her. She toed off her shoes and crept towards the chair, walked around it and dropped her bags in shock. Oswald looked up at her with watery eyes and a red, tear stained face that held a guilty expression. He dropped the half-eaten bird he had been holding and wrapped his arms around himself, hiding his face as he spluttered apologies. She instantly rushed forwards and knelt down to comfort him, wrapping her arms around her son and petting his hair while sobs wracked through him. 

After a short while he looked up to her as if waiting for the disappointment, this is when his mother noticed two small, sharp horns replacing where the bumps on his head had been, a different kind of worry overtaking her. He would be starting pre-school soon, he wouldn't be able to go out in public without a hat and if they kept growing… She didn't want to hide her precious boy away from the world. She shooshed him once again, giving him a weak smile. “At least you are eating now Oswald.” She said, trying to give light to the situation.

Her grocery shopping had taken an odd turn since that afternoon, she always stopped by a pet store if one was in the area, buying from a different one each time so they wouldn't start getting suspicious. She didn't like feeding her son anything other than fresh meat, it seemed to be the only thing he was able to stomach now. She would let a guinea pig or a few hamsters loose in the apartment to give him some entertainment. His leg had gotten better, the meat seemingly helping with the healing process as his wounds were now faded to nasty scars. His horns had kept growing as she had feared, branched off in a couple of places.

She was in the middle of reading with Oswald one night, in her armchair with her son sitting on her lap, marvelling over the pictures in the book he had chosen to read. She raised a hand to pet his hair, causing a sharp snarl from him at the unexpected touch. He whipped around and snapped at her, his sharpened teeth bared defensively. She stilled in shock, eyes wide. The realization slowly calmed him down, mirroring her expression. He started crying saying that it was an accident but his mother new better, if she kept pretending everything was normal both she and more importantly her son would be in danger. She put him to bet that night with a painful solution already decided upon. 

The next morning was a painful one to wake up to, she shook Oswald gently awake at four AM so that they would be able to walk around without being seen. He was confused and she could see that he knew something was wrong. She assured him that everything was fine and allowed them both to have breakfast in silence before she told him to get his woolly wear and coat on. His horns had grown again, twisted down and branched out at cheek level so his hood didn't hide them as well as she would have liked.

They walked the forty-five minute walk to the mouth of the forest and stopped for a few minutes to catch their breath, a blood-red sunrise spanning over the horizon. Oswald decided to speak up then, the bad feeling he had only growing.

“Where are we going Momma?” He asked. 

“For a walk, my dear.” His mother replied, a strained feeling of sadness and guilt building up in the back of her throat like a knot. His mother took his hand and lead them into the woods for the second time, each step felt like a growing weight of her heart. It was only when they came across the same place Oswald had wandered off before, his mother stopped walking. “Why don’t you go and play darling?” His mother asked though her hold on his hand tightened. Oswald looked at her with a confused, worried expression at the suggestion.

"I don’t want to.” He replied, frowning.

His mother looked away to the forest around then and closed her eyes. “Do as your mother tells you Oswald.” Oswald’s frown only deepened but he complied, letting go of her only to be wrapped up in a bone-crushing hug.

”I love you Oswald, remember that. Stay safe, darling.”

“Ok. I love you too Momma.” Oswald replied simply, wriggling out of the tight hug and turning around to play in the snow as his mother had instructed.

Mrs.Kapelput waited, giving him a weak, sad smile whenever he looked back to her until she had a chance to escape. She turned her back on her son, fighting back tears and the urge to scoop him up and apologise for trying to keep him safe. She ignored his confused calls for her, echoing though the trees as she made her way back to the main road, the forest would keep him safe until they met again, she was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued hopefully...
> 
> Constructive criticism is always welcomed and comments ALWAYS make my day and motivate me to write more!


	2. He should have been harder to find, really.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim meets a creature of which he has never seen before on a case. After being tailed for a couple of hours he decides to confront it only to find that he could be dealing with the reason behind the disappearances he has been investigating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit trickier to write but I had lots of fun writing it, I just hope its as good as the first!
> 
> Also, a huge Happy Birthday to Horribleplusadorable!
> 
> Enjoy!

Jim _really_ regretted not bringing a flask of coffee with him that morning, he had known as soon as he had left his apartment door that he was going to need it. He and Harvey had been sitting on this case for nearly a week, they had searched the city from top to bottom trying to find who had kidnapped those five humans, but they had found nothing. Harvey had all but given up the day before and had dragged him along to have a drink which later turned out to be several in Harvey’s case. Jim had dragged Harvey back to harvey’s place, put him to bed and left him with some aspirin and a glass of water. He was going to have a killer of a hangover when he woke up.

Jim had barely gotten four hours of sleep when his phone blurted out its ring tone, nearly making him fall out of his bed with the shock of it. The rude awakening was worth it though when it turned out that the GCPD had found a lead on the case. The last kidnapping had been of a young man who, with a history of sleep waking, was last seen wandering into the forest.

If Jim was honest with himself he should have seen it sooner. The number of cases he and Harvey had been given more often than not had ended up pointing to the forest, it wasn’t much of a surprise. This is how he had ended up trudging through shin-deep snow surrounded by nothing but trees and frosted foliage for miles. It was below freezing and despite the multiple layers he had hastily dressed himself in his gloved fingers and toes were starting to sting and go numb. He could have really used that coffee now. He paused, letting his guard down for no less than a minuet while he rubbed the feeling back into his hands. He wasn't the biggest fan of frostbite and he wanted to avoid the threat of it as much as he could despite the fact that any chance of getting it was slim.

That was when he heard it.

_Crunch, shhhhh, crunch, shhhhh._

The faint sound made him to freeze in place, straining his ears to listen. The nearly silent shuffling paused a few moments after, knowing it had been caught. Jim debated acknowledging its existence but decided against it, he wanted to see how long it would take for it to make itself known instead. He cupped his hands over his mouth and exhaled into them as a last attempt at warming them up.

Acting as though he hadn’t heard it Jim continued on his journey, he tried not to put too much pressure in his steps to try and hear the other but it was impossible. He made excuses for himself to stop, letting his keen eyes survey the area as he searched for any clues or whereabouts to the missing boy. The shuffling was still there, stopping a second after every pause he took.

_Crunch, shhhhh._

With what he had gathered from the muffled sequence Jim could tell that the being had a limp. It was hobbling to the left of him and it too was making a good attempt at being quiet. If he openly scanned the scenery around him it would have given away his intentions, so he kept walking and spared a glance in the direction of the shuffling every so often, varying when he would look to keep up his act. He couldn't see anything other than trees, the entity was either hiding behind the trees or in the shadows they cast, lengthening with each hour that past. Which ever the answer was it was good at hiding.

Another good hour or so later the tailing was beginning to get old, it was distracting him from his investigative work and by the sounds of things it was getting closer with each meter the shadows gained. It was getting late and for all Jim knew it could have been the source of the kidnappings following him. Jim slowed to a stop and raised his hand carefully to draw his gun, he wasn't planning on alarming his pursuer he just wanted to know what it was and what the hell it wanted. He took a deep breath and turned to face it, pointing the gun at the direction of the being with both hands as a precaution. It stopped instantly, unmoving and barely-visible in the dark.

"Are you going to come out or am I gonna have to wait here all evening?" Jim asked in a steady if sarcastic tone, making the shadow move slightly from being directly addressed.

For a moment Jim wasn't sure if it had heard him but it slowly started to respond to his words. The creature started shuffling towards him, it’s steps more pronounced now, he could hear its breathing was slightly laboured as if all the walking had put a strain on it. It was probably because of the limp. It stopped just before the edge of the last shadow it could use to hide in as it if was waiting for a drum roll.

He could make out a pair of horns, twisted in a way that they looked less like antlers…It looked like it was wearing a suit? He had already placed a good guess as to what it was based on these things. Then without any sort of warning it started hobbling into the light, horns first, head lowered to make them seem more impressive.

It probably thought it was being threatening. It just looked over dramatic. It reminded him of that one scene from “The Beauty and the Beast”. Jim would have given it a look if his guard wasn't up and it could have tried to attack him at any given moment.

The first thing he noticed about it (aside from the horns but then again they were pretty hard to miss) was that it was very short. Short for its kind anyway. He hadn’t seen a Wendigo before but as the legends and research recalled they were a lot bigger than five-foot-something. The next thing he noticed was its eyes, slitted pupils surrounded by icy green-blue. Its stance was stiff under its oversized suit that had seen better days, ripped at the shoulder to reveal more of its dress shirt, the untied tie around its neck was kept there by the shirt’s open collar which showed off its wintry skin. It flexed its long, clawed fingers in a threat and Jim raised his gun a couple of inches in return. “What do you want? You've been tailing me for the past couple of hours.” Jim asked, watching it carefully.

For a moment it looked taken aback, it’s eyes widening and it’s brows furrowing slightly. It opened its mouth to speak, closed it and narrowed its eyes. “…I am one of the best hunters in this forest, that’s impossible.” It stated, in dental that Jim had heard it. It had a nice voice he decided.

"You didn’t answer my question." Jim said in all seriousness, getting back to the original topic.

The Wendigo eyed him, its expression turning into more of a curious one. “I didn’t know I had to answer it.”

"GCPD, you have to answer my questions one way or another but you have the right to remain silent." Jim responded, letting go of the gun with one hand to dig out his badge without breaking eye contact. He held it up for the other to see but got nothing more than an a tilt of its head.

"I have no idea what the GCDP is."

“The _GCPD_ is the law.” Jim explained simply, wanting to hurry along with the conversation. Its staring was making him uneasy, not that he let it show.

“The law doesn’t apply here.”

“The law does apply here, just answer the question.”

The Wendigo just starred at him, gritting its teeth.

“Fair enough. Do you know anything about the disappearances of these six humans: Natasha Morgan, Heather Brown, Andrew Gray, Luther Campbell, Pam Waters and Brian Davis.” Jim questioned, putting his badge away and returning his hold on the gun.

The Wendigo shook its head a bit too fast to be seen as unsuspicious. It took a step back and let out a short, nervous chuckle, confirming Jim’s theories. “I-I have no idea what you are talking about. Just because of what I am? I'm offended.” It denied, tripping over its sentences.

"You shouldn't be, this has nothing to do with your species I'm just doing my job. You’re a terrible liar."

“I'm not lying, I swear on my own life. Besides, you have no proof.” It retorted, going back to being over dramatic.

Jim huffed, knowing that it was right. “That doesn't make you any less of a suspect. I'm still taking you in for questioning. Hands where I can see them.” Jim ordered.

He stepped forwards and watched its ears twitch back behind its horns with uneasiness. “If you try to run I’ll just follow you.” Jim warned, walking towards it slowly. It surprised him that the creature didn't try to run away, then again there weren't any predicted snow falls any time soon and it could risk exposing its home if it had one. Jim walked behind it, still being careful and raised the gun to its back. The Wendigo started limping in the direction Jim had instructed without a struggle and spluttered about how it wasn't to blame.

_*_*_*_*_*_

By the time they were outside the station, it had gone quiet, it’s expression one of awe as it took in the building. Jim and a couple of other members of the force lead him inside and watched as the normal amount of havoc that was the GCPD’s station, slow to a stop. Jim ignored the stares the small group got on their way to holding, some of the members moving not so subtly away from the creature as they passed. It didn't put up much of a struggle as it was locked behind the bars apart from when it started panicking about iron which was quickly resolved when Jim told it that the bars weren't actually made of the stuff. Parts of the city homed more fae than some areas of the forest and the city was infamous for its crime levels.

"Jesus, Boy Scout, what’ve you caught there?" A familiar voice sounded, a hand clapped his shoulder not a second later.

Jim turned to half-face Harvey and gave him a quick once over. He looked a bit shabbier than usual but he couldn't blame him, aside from looking more miserable than he did normally he looked like he was getting past his hangover. Jim cast a glance to the creature sitting huddled in the corner of the cell before turning back to his partner. “A Wendigo.”

Harvey raised his eyebrows and looked over to said Wendigo again, this time he moved over towards it, looking through the gaps of the bars like he was a kid observing an animal at the zoo. “I've gotta say I've never seen one of those before. I'm almost glad I dragged myself out of bed this morning.” Harvey said in an impressed tone of voice. “Can it talk?” He asked as if it weren't there.

The Wendigo stared at him in silence.

“It can but I told it that it had the right to remain silent.” Jim replied. He watched as it shifted uncomfortably under both the detectives and other onlooker’s stares.

"So you think it’s the one behind the disappearances? I wouldn’t be surprised." Harvey questioned. "It’s gonna have to talk one way or another if it wants to get outta here."

“It said it wasn’t to blame but it acted otherwise.” Jim explained, crossing his arms.

“That’s what they all say Jimbo.” Harvey stated and straightened up. He turned around and raised a hand to clasp his shoulder lightly again. “I’m gonna go get some coffee, I deserve it.” Harvey said, releasing his hold and walking away.

“I’ll join you, I’ve been deprived.” Jim replied, lifting a hand to rub his eyes as he turned around to follow the fellow detective, sparing another glance back at the creature before he left.

Once they had grabbed their beverages they walked to their shared office. It wasn’t much to look at, the walls were fairly plain with a large cork board for case notes and the like, two metal desks were placed near the door with two black, identical office chairs and a large enough window to suffice that looked out over the city. Harvey closed the door, the frosty glass obscuring the rest of the station outside it. He walked over to his desk heavily as though he held the whole department’s problems and cases combined on his shoulders and slumped in his chair after he sat down with a sigh. “How was the case?” He asked and took a gulp of his coffee.

Jim walked over to the cork board, his eyes skimming over the notes, photos, links and leads. “Cold.” Jim answered simply. “It didn’t try to attack me if that’s what your asking.”

Jim turned to look at Harvey who put his cup down on his desk. He shrugged. “That’s a plus. How did you catch it? Offer it free meat in a hamper?” Harvey asked sarcastically.

Jim spared him a smile, breathing out a single laugh. “Good guess. It followed me around for a couple of hours, avoided all of my questions and let me take it here without much of a struggle.”

Jim watched as Harvey’s eyebrows raised in disbelief. “Well I’ll be damned.”

“How’s the hangover?” Jim asked in return, taking a sip of his own coffee and hissing softly as it burnt his tongue.

Harvey grimaced and groaned in what sounded like pain and regret. “I still feel like I’ve been hit by a bus.”

“You look like it.” Jim said jokingly.

“Nah, you’re just jealous that I had a better time than you.”

Jim rolled his eyes and took another, more careful sip. “Sure I am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What will happen next?  
> How will Oswald get out of this?  
> Will Harvey get over his hangover?  
> Will Jim's coffee cool down?  
> Find out in the next chapter!


	3. Interrogation room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oswald reflects on his time in the interrogation with Jim and Harvey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this chapter a lot sooner than expected, you're welcome.
> 
> Enjoy!

Oswald watched the humans move around outside of the cage, peering in and staring at him as though he were nothing more than an animal.

He didn't like the whole ordeal at all, if he had known he was going to be locked up with a black eye and winded stomach he would have tried his hand - or leg - at running from the human as soon as he had started walking towards him.

The stares he was being given were making him very uncomfortable, which was understandable for someone who wasn't used to being around so many beings. Wendigos in general like their territories spacious and are solitary creatures, even if he did get lonely occasionally he wasn't looking for this much company in a day, it made him feel cornered.

He raised his hand to his damaged eye, lightly touching the pad of a finger to the bruised skin around it and hissed in pain. He then dropped his hand and rested his chin on his knees with a wince.

He raised his head and his sensitive ears twitched forwards at the sound two familiar voices. The last time he had heard them was in a type of interrogation room. He recalled the previous few hours over in his brain, zoning out as the voices drew nearer.

_*_*_*_*_*_

The cage's door had been thrown open and he had stood up with a start at the unexpected turn of events. He was expecting to be let out or moved into a bigger place instead of having a human who he didn't recognise order him not to move while they strapped a strange mask over his mouth, he struggled but stopped when the human told him in a slightly frightened tone that it was just a precaution and that it would be over soon.

He had complied when they led him into another small room with dark walls, one of the walls was made of the same bars and looked out to the main part of the building, there was a single chair in the middle of the tiny space and it made him nervous.

The human had told him to sit down, after he had and they handcuffed his hands together - so he couldn't use his claws if he turned against them he assumed, which was ridiculous because he wasn't on anyones side as far as he was concerned - they told him that he was going to be interrogated. He wasn't sure what that had meant at the time but he didn't like the sound of it.

After a minuet or so of waiting with the stranger he watched as the two humans he recognised entered the strange room and let the other jittery human escape. He couldn't recall their names, he thought he knew one but he was too busy taking everything in when he had heard it.

The pretty human he had found spoke first. "We're just going to ask you a series of questions. If you refuse to answer them Harvey here will have to intervene. Do you understand?" He said and crossed his arms, staring down at him with a serious, borderline angry expression. He didn't like the look of it on him.

Oswald nodded, worrying the inside of his mouth in anticipation. He glanced over to the other man who he assumed was Harvey, he decided that he didn't like him from the sound of the other human's words.

"Good. I'm going to ask you again, do you know anything about the disappearances of the six humans you refused to talk about?" He asked, stepping forwards from next to Harvey and effectively looming over him.

He gulped and shook his head, not trusting himself to start rambling. That would only get him in even more trouble.

The man's lips drew into an annoyed line. "Do you know anyone who could have been involved in the crimes?"

He froze up for a second before shaking his head faster, internally wincing for slipping up. The human frowned and narrowed his eyes.

"The truth?" He demanded more than questioned. Oswald glanced towards the other human and pressed his lips together, trying to work out what he could tell and what would get him out of the situation.

"I-I don't know who they are or what happened to them." He said shakily, he cursed the nervous waver in his voice but stared up at the human with an equally serious expression, pushing aside his fear.

The human eyed him suspiciously and stood silently for a few seconds. Harvey decided to intervene. "Jim." He said in a warning that made him sound like he wanted to take over anyway. Oswald's ears twitched forwards in interest at the sound of the name, tilting his head slowly.

The human- Jim, stared at him for a moment longer and nodded. He turned around and walked towards the back of the small room, leaving Oswald to feel even more cornered than before as if he had just lost an ally despite everything, he felt an air of danger around Harvey and shrunk back in his seat as he stepped forwards. This wasn't going to end well.

"Did you or did you not either eat, stash away or kill those people?" He asked in a demanding tone, he counted each of the prospects on his fingers and leaned down into his personal space making him try to shrink back further.

He opened his mouth and spluttered words that didn't even make sense to himself let alone the human. He watched in horror as a fist came into view.

He wanted to stop the punch but with the handcuffs in place he couldn't grab onto his arm, he could have tried but strength comes with age and he wasn't nearly as old as he would have to be to be able to break metal. So he took it with a pained shout and a wheeze as his stomach was winded. He managed to gasp out something that made the human stop. "Not the only Wendigo in the forest..."

"So there are more of you. Do any of your friends know anything about the kidnappings?" He asked harshly.

Oswald gave a tired shrug and a breathy reply. "Go...Ask them yourself." He looked up at him with his good eye and let an angered growl build up in his throat which soon turned into a soft whimper when the human raised his fist again, he braced for impact that never came.

He slowly opened his good eye, he hadn't realised he had closed it, and watched and Jim let go of Harvey's arm, giving him a look of disapproval, and told him to stop. He hesitated to relax because he wasn't out of the woods yet, figuratively speaking, but he did breathe a sigh of relief.

"What was the last thing you ate?" Jim asked, looking down at him.

"Deer." Oswald answered instantly, glancing back to Harvey.

Harvey quietly scoffed and gave Jim a look of doubt but didn't say anything.

Jim nodded slowly and ignored Harvey. "What did the last human you ate look like?" He asked in a surprisingly calm tone even if it did sound subtly bitter. It couldn't be helped he guessed.

Oswald frowned and nibbled the inside of his cheek lightly as he thought back. It had been over a week, he wasn't too worried about what the human had looked like, but it was coming back to him slowly. "A middle aged, white male, greying hair, freckles. He had glasses and four fingers on one hand, he was horribly drunk."

He watched as the humans exchanged another glance, one full of both disappointment and annoyance.

Harvey lifted his hands to rest them on his hips. "Looks like you're not our guy until further evidence." He said reluctantly. It was obvious that they had been working on the case for a while by the looks of his put out expression.

"I'm putting you back in holding until I finish my shift, I'll take you back to the forest after." Jim said, giving him a cue to stand up. He nodded and stood up shakily, wincing due to his more-than-likely bruised stomach.

The men left the room and he was led back to the holding cell. Harvey left before he was shut in, leaving Jim to take the uncomfortable metal off his wrists and take off the mask once he was inside.

It was a shame that it didn't buckle at the front, he would have liked to get a closer look at his face. It was even more of a loss when Jim walked out of the cell and closed it for however long it was going to be until he returned.

He lowered his ears and let out a soft, hurt whine. Maybe pity would get him out quicker? Apparently it didn't phase him much to his disappointment, There was only a flicker of emotion in the human's eyes he couldn't quite pinpoint, guilt maybe? Then turned his back on him to begun walking off to elsewhere.

-*-*-*-*-*-

He came back to himself, snapping out of his thoughts while the voices talked. He shifted to get more comfortable on the metal seat. He watched as Harvey left much to his relief and stared at Jim with interest, tilting his head slightly as he unlocked the door.

He was very interesting to look at, the humans he came across in the forest rarely caught his eye. He could tell that there was something interesting about him just by the way he acted, he was..different.

His tired blue eyes held blatant honesty and didn't look wary or awed when he glanced over at him unlike the other humans that came near him. Maybe that was what had made him stay? He rarely wandered from his home for that long in the winter months.

He blinked and furrowed his brows when he realised he was being talked to. "I'm sorry I was distracted." He said, shaking his head in confusion. The human started again.

"I've finished my shift so I'm taking you back." He repeated and opened he door of the cell wider.

Oswald's eyes widened, relief flooding through him. He hurriedly unwrapped his arms from around himself and stood up. He limped through the door, spared a glance up at him and nearly tripped over his own feet. He mentally winced at the small amount of embarrassment but brushed it off and hobbled towards the main doors of the building.

It was dark when they exited the building. The station and it's surrounding buildings looked completely different, strange lights lit them up and shone through the windows, making Oswald stare in wonder as he had when he first arrived there.

Jim led him to a strange object - a car, he recalled - he had seen humans use on the wide paths through the forest, he had traveled in a different one on the way but decided that this one looked nicer and was a lot more comfortable.

He was also allowed to sit at the front which was mildly exciting, he wasn't sure why. He refrained from fiddling with any of the buttons while the other drove, he didn't want to annoy him.

The majority of the twenty-minute journey was sat in silence aside from the odd comment or conversation. Oswald started their longest conversation of the ride by playing with the seat belt out of boredom.

"Could you stop clawing up the seat belt." Jim spoke up, telling rather than asking.

Oswald stopped picking at it with the ends of his claws and folded his hands on his lap to avoid the temptation, it was uncomfortable and tight across his chest, he didn't like it.

"Thanks." Jim murmured and returned his attention to the road.

"Why did you have to put me in that other room?" Oswald asked out of the blue after a few seconds, it had been playing on his mind.

"It's like an interrogation room we use if we need to question dangerous or strong suspects, human or otherwise. There are less things to throw than in the main one." Jim explained, turning the wheel.

Oswald nodded in understanding and looked out of the window, watching the world fly by before his eyes.

A short while later they were driving along one of the wide paths where the snow wasn't as deep in the forest, the lights from the car illuminating their way and made the snow glow where the light hit it.

Oswald sighed as a wave of relief overtook him - the kind of relief that came with being close to home after a stressful day. He had felt it as soon as they had crossed into his territory.

The car pulled over and slowed to a stop with the muffled sound of tires crushing untouched snow. Oswald looked up to Jim was about to ask why but was interrupted by the other man. "Do you know your way from here?" He asked and sat back in his seat, his hands still rested on the wheel.

Oswald stared at him for a couple of seconds and felt dread when he realised he was being kicked out. He didn't want to leave, he wasn't exactly sure why but the thought of going home now seemed much less appealing than it had before the car stopped. He nodded slowly anyway and found his voice again.

"Yes, I know this part of the forest like the back of my hand." He said, looking down, away to the door handle. He lifted a suddenly heavy hand to the handle and pulled, the door opening with a dreadful, low click.

He pushed aside his own strange feelings and pushed the door open, unclipped his belt and climbed of the car slowly, giving shudder as his shoe covered feet sunk into the snow.

He looked back to the human and stared at him wanting to stop him from closing the door. starting the car up again and putting it into reverse but stayed put. He waited until the car was out of sight until he started moving again, it wouldn't do him any good to stay out here all night for no reason and he was starting to feel the cold which wasn't a good sign.

With a heavy sigh he turned towards the direction of his home and started walking, head down and leg dragging behind him. Today had been a long day, a shower and a guarded fire was in order.


	4. Riddle me this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day, another crime to solve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello to all of my beautiful readers! My appologies for being gone long! I have been up to my neck with collage work and computer troubles so to make up for it this chapter is longer than I first planned and there is an Easter egg in it!
> 
> Please let me know of you find any spelling mistakes! I'll fix them if you do!
> 
> (TW: gore/body horror for this chapter btw! Just in case!)
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Jim's alarm went off at 6AM sharp.

He awoke with a muffled groan against his left arm, silently cursing his phone when his hand missed hitting the "OK" button on the screen and sent it toppling onto the floor, screen down. He had to lean over the side of his makeshift bed, eyes and body still adjusting to consciousness, to grab it. He practically jabbed the button for it to stop its blurting of "Living on a Prayer", it was a good song but he preferred to not to have a headache this early in the morning, thank you very much.

He sat up, hunched over as he rubbed his eyes and waited for his head rush to subside, lifting his head to look at the suit he had hung up by the door with a heavy sigh

New day, new start. It was a shame it had to start so suddenly but he had to deal with it, he had work to do and cases to solve.

With the less than what was considered normal events that had taken place yesterday, Jim knew that the office would probably be a lot more frantic today and there was no doubt that rumours were going to be gossiped about his and Harvey's case.

He got dressed in his occasional bedroom (a small room in the building that was once used as a locker room but was changed into a spare room as more people had joined the force over the years.) and freshened up in the men's room before making his way to his and Harvey's office. Harvey wouldn't be in until 7 at the very least so in the meantime he sorted out some papers that were shrewn carelessly across his desk from last night. He remembered being too tired to bother cleaning them up and if he was sleeping overnight here he didn't see why it would be a problem (they weren't hardly important anyway).

After organising everything into a couple of (not so) neat piles, he turned to look out of the window, looking out and down at the city below, already buzzing with movement, starting chains of butterfly effects that could likely end up as another case for him to solve for all he knew. Distracting himself from his brooding he turned to the cork board to try and look for anything that he had missed.

Yesterday had been unproductive aside from managing to find a creature Harvey hadn't seen before - which admittedly filled him with a sense of pride that came with beating a friend at something, but that hadn't helped solve the case.He knew the answer lay somewhere in the forest, he could feel it in his gut. He always made a point to trust gut feelings, they had aided him more times than he could remember. Whether if was anything to do with the Wendigo he had met though, he wasn't so sure. 

He absentmindedly wondered what it was doing at that moment. Sleeping probably; they were known to suffer form fatigue in the winter, hunger too but that was for another reason entirely.

He checked his watch, pulling up his sleeve to look at it.

7:39.

His phone chose to metaphorically spring to life at that moment, the sound sending him whirling around to snatch it up. He tapped his screen with his thumb and pressed the small device to his ear.

"Detective Jim Gordon-"

"Hey Boy Scout, guess what? We found a lead. A body was discovered in the snow on the main road leading into the forest. Get your ass over here before Nygma asks me another damn riddle, he's killing me here."

The call ended as quickly as it had begun, leaving Jim to grab his coat, gloves and scarf. The paperwork could wait until later, he had a case to solve.

_*_*_*_*_*_

Jim pulled his scarf up and over his nose, the icy wind stung his face like thousands of tiny needles due to the hailstones that had started raining down on him along the way. He cast a glance back at his car that was parked just inside the "POLICE" tape that was used as a barrier to mark off the area. He crunched his way through the snow towards two familiar figures, one kneeling down beside what he assumed to be the body and the other on his phone. It was easy to tell who was who though, even through the hale.

"What have you got Ed?" Jim asked as he approached the men, catching both their attention.

He came to a stop next to them, giving the body a once over. He had seen more disturbing cases but this still ranked between middle and high on the nonexistent list. The body of a once living man had been stipped of most of its flesh, he only things remaining on his skeleton being his head, hands and feet.

The man kneeling down beside the body grinned and straightened up, standing taller than Jim by a few inches. He pushed his glasses up his nose, his grin dying down into a playful smile.

Here it comes Jim thought, lifting his hands to rest on his hips as he waited.

"Riddle me this: I'm a part of a bird that isn't in the sky, I swim in the ocean but always stay dry. What am-"

"Nygma, for the last time neither me OR Jim give a shi-"

"A shadow." Jim answered, knowing that it was he only way to get an answer out of the young man. The riddle wasn't a hard one today much to his relief, he was starting to get irritable with his lack of a decent nights sleep.

Edward's smile grew into a grin of approval. "Correct."

Jim heard Harvey mutter something along the lines of "Why do I even bother." Before he was bombarded with information from Edward.

"A young man, late 20s. He has badly bruised knuckles but they were healed enough that whatever fight he must have been in was a few days ago. The corpse however, is two days old. If you look closely here though you'll find that." 

Edward crouched down to point to where the flesh had been severed at one hand.

"These cuts weren't made by any knife. Claws are the most likely murder weapon here. He was thrown almost carelessly, there is no blood so he must have been killed somewhere else. The killer left the face, hands and feet untouched. My verdict is that this."

He gestured to the whole body with a gloved hand

"Was the killer's way of making a point to someone or something, they wanted it to be found." He concluded, smiling proudly (and somewhat unnervingly) at his findings.

"Revenge is a more than likely reason." Jim chipped in and nodded, soaking all of the information up and trying to piece it together.

"I've seen that guy around before." Harvey voiced from next to him.

Jim raised his eyebrows in surprise, turning to see Harvey eying the decreased man's face. "Yeah?" He asked, prompting him to continue.

Harvey nodded, tilting his head to one side and frowning in thought. "Yeah, the last time I saw him he was working for Fish Mooney."

Well that was unexpected. Then again Fish was notorious for her troublemaking. She could have upset someone or the man could have upset her. It could have likely been something more complicated than either of those theories.

"Looks like our next lead is Fish's place." Jim decided, earning a sound of agreement from Harvey.

_*_*_*_*_*_

The car ride to the Fish Mooney's club was a relatively tense one.

The last time they had visited he and Harvey had been strung upside-down from a web about to be tortured by her men. Luckily for them though Fish's boss, Don Falcone, had been made aware of their situation somehow and had stopped it from happening.

Now, walking into her club Harvey had acted like nothing had happened, as though had all been a petty misunderstanding.

"Harvey, Jim. How marvellous." The woman in question greeted, turning towards them with grace, the dim lighting catching her striking green eyes and making the red streaks of her fringe stand out more than usual. Her tone was light and could be considered friendly but Jim could tell she wasn't exactly overjoyed to see them both again so soon.

Her personal body guard - Butch, as he recalled - remained at the bar but eyed them both with mild interest at their sudden appearance and downed what was left of his glass of alcohol.

"Still mad at us?" Harvey asked, his tone light and playful but careful all the same as he walked towards her to greet her with a kiss to her cheek.

Fish accepted it and paused for a second in thought. "...No. Please, I'm quite fond of you and...You," She paused again, casting a glance over to him. "Intrigue me." He apparently intrigued a lot of people. It would have been oddly flattering if it wasn't because he was what seemed like the only honest cop in this messed up city.

"I knew I would regret killing you as soon as I gave the word, but you know me. I'm feisty." She continued. 'Yeah, just a bit' Jim thought but kept his mouth shut and his serious expression in place.

Harvey let out an amused sound and kept that smile still plastered onto his face. Jim knew the reasons they had to keep on good ground with Fish but Harvey always seemed pleased to see her, he knew they were old friends, he had gathered it when they had first met the woman but he still wondered...

"We found one of your men dead on the main road leading into the forest. Do you know anything about it?" Jim asked getting down to business, ever the kill joy according to Harvey.

First shock, then anger flashed across her face before she smoothed her expression into an unphased one. "Really now? My apologies detectives but I knew nothing about my loss until you pointed it out." She said in a calm, mildly hurt tone. Beneath it he could sense fury seeping into her controlled tone. Oh boy. There was going to be even more trouble to come, he just hoped he wouldn't be the one trying to break it up in the end.

"I'm sorry to hear that Fish, do you know why someone could have wanted to do this?" Harvey asked, shuffling half a step closer to her.

Fish thought for a moment and raised a finger to rest against her painted lips as she thought. "I can't say I do. You know how crime is these days, he probably had dirt on his hands that I didn't know about." She offered. It didn't sound very convincing but she was a stubborn woman, there were probably a number of reasons for the man's death.

"You're sure of this?" Jim asked in a doubtful but serious voice.

Fish lowered her hand to hold it against her chest in mock hurt. "When have I ever lied to you boys?" She replied. "He probably deserved it for all I know."

Lots of times probably. Harvey broke the ice by stepping in front of him, raising his hands in apology. "He probably did, we'll work hard to find the killer anyway."

Fish seemed satisfied with that and dropped her hand slowly to her side. "Fair enough, I have work to do and I'm sure you to do. It's always a pleasure Harvey, Jim, but I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me, I am a busy woman. Good luck with the case boys." She announced, excusing herself.

"Same here Fish, until next time." Harvey said with a sad smile. She gave them both a small, fake-looking smile in return and turned her back on them to talk with Butch again.

Harvey sighed in defeat and turned slowly around to face Jim. "Looks like it's our que to skedaddle." He murmured, stepping past him and making his way to the door. Jim followed without another word, his mind already filtering and piecing together the evidence, a constantly working machine it seemed

_*_*_*_*_*_

Their daily routine seemed to pick up again as it had that morning and so the men found themselves standing outside their boss's office waiting to be let in. Jim stood alert as a guard while Harvey acted as laid back as every, his hands nestled in his trouser pockets. A "Come in" chimed from he other side of the door, inviting them in, her tone as welcoming as always.

Jim opened the dark wooden door and entered her spacious office, clean, light and well organised. It reflected her as a person, Jim thought as he held the door open for Harvey. He sidestepped past Jim and took his hand out of his pockets to make a good impression on himself.

Jim's gaze settled on the well dressed woman siting at her desk, shuffling the numerous papers that were previously scattered across the metal and set them neatly next to the metal plate engraved with ' _Ms. S. Essen_ ' before raising her dark eyes to look up at them.

"Good evening Jim, Harvey, I heard about your new case. Any luck at Fish's?" She asked all curiosity and interest woven into her kind voice.

They didn't really need to see her but she liked to keep up to date with their progress on their various cases despite her busy schedule. It was nice to share the stress with someone other than his partner that could know about his cases, unlike in the past but that was another story for another time.

"We got nothing, all Fish said was that she didn't know anything about the body or the reason and thing behind it." Harvey said, leaning his weight in his right leg and looking around in annoyance.

"Do you have any leads?" Sarah asked in a serious tone, time to get down to business.

"We have the forest, unless proven otherwise the body came from there. Other than that we don't have anything." Jim clarified, standing up a little straighter. He saw a flicker or something outside the long window that faced the main part of the building. He glanced over, seeing a familiar bespeckled man peering in at them with an odd expression plastered onto his face, shuffling forwards slowly. The image of him rolling along on a skateboard appeared in his mind, he kept a straight face, holding back a chuckle at the amusing thought.

"What is it Ed." Sarah snapped and looked over to where Ed slunk.

Edward straightened up and moved briskly through the door, a jittery-excited air about him. "Guess what I found." A grin spread across his face as he walked further into the room.

Sarah looked up at to him and spared a glance at the detectives, clearly bothered by his sudden entrance. He had an unnerving habit of sneaking up on people and popping up in the middle of things, he could emphasise with that.

"I looked in the victim's mouth and I found a heart shaped ruby." He said, pronouncing the last three words clearly to emphasise them. He looked to Harvey and Jim, as if looking for any sort of praise, all he got was questioning a eyebrow raise from Jim. "It's chipped and was most likely part of a piece of jewellery, like a necklace or earring."

"There are more jewellers in Gotham than flies on a horse, where are we gonna find a necklace with a ruby missing? For all we know it could be the only thing left of a necklace." Harvey interrupted, frustrated with his vague finding.

"Fish might know something about it, if it was for her to find then it obviously must mean something to her." Jim looked to his boss for any other ideas or a confirmation of any sort.

Harvey nodded next to him in agreement. "It probably has but going to Fish's place doesn't sound like a good idea twice in the same day, were on thin enough ice as it is."

"Harvey has a point." Sarah spoke up, looking between them. Her eyes fell on ed, awkwardness slowly building with each second he stood there, watching them. "Anything else?" She asked, turning to Edward again.

Ed only shook his head.

"Thank you, Ed." Sarah said, excusing him. He just stood there, smiling that unnerving smile and looking around at them all, seemingly not hearing her. He was probably off in his own twisted world again.

Jim cleared his throat, trying to help him snap out of it and save him further embarrassment. It didn't work.

"Thank you, Ed." She repeated, more firmly this time. It was clear that Edward got the hint this time. His eyes widened and his whole body language changed, embarrassed as he scurried out of the room.

"Any other ideas on the case? Sarah asked, standing up abruptly in all seriousness.

Jim spoke up first. "I have a feeling it has something to do with the Wendigo I found, it might have something to do with the disappearances, if we can find it again-"

"Jim we decided to close that case last night." Sarah warned. "I know you want to continue it," He always did. "But it is over."

"Look, if-"

"Jim. Leave it." Harvey warned, tired of carrying on yet another case.

He couldn't just let it go like Harvey could, it was a gut feeling, he knew it had something to do with the kidnappings, different case or not. "No promises."

Sarah gave him a less than pleased look but gave in and sat down in defeat. "Just don't get yourselves into too much trouble. I mean it."

"Oh trust me, we'll try NOT to." Harvey huffed and started towards the door. Knowing how their cases usually went it probably couldn't be helped. After all, nothing was ever exactly simple when it came to solving a crime in Gotham.


	5. Update

Hello again readers.

I've decided to drop by once again to let you know that this fic is most certainly **NOT DEAD.** Because my old phone got lost and/or stolen in May (2015) I'm still slowly writing up the lost information and plot ideas for this story.

I'm so sorry for leaving it this so long, I am not ready to drop this fanfic, and I do hope to continue it long after I've posted this.


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